The Harbinger Issue 9

INSIDE

HARBINGER

FORMER TEACHER SUES SMSD PAGE 4

9

ISSUE

THE

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS

1/25/16

SENIOR TRAINS IN SAMURAI DISCIPLINE PAGE 18 MAKEOVER DESTINATIONS FOR WPA PAGE 21

Editor-in-Chief

Obama’s executive order will help protect American citizens while still falling under the bounds of the Constitution

FOR: 12 written by ALI LEE

F

rom President Barack Obama’s many speeches over gun violence, it is clear that gun control has always been a priority of the Obama administration. However, Obama’s intention to take action on enforcing gun control was not made until he issued his 23 executive actions in response to the Sandy Hook shooting in January of 2013. More recently, he addressed it at his final State of the Union Address on Jan. 12. His plan is to make sure guns are only used in the safest possible way, by qualified people.

The Harbinger believes that President Obama’s gun control measures will only control guns in regards to the safety of Americans, not confiscate them or usurp our Second Amendment rights.

The measures that Obama hopes to take, such as required background checks and investing more in deterring gun trafficking, have been met with great opposition from both the Republican Party and the NRA. They have slandered his intentions under the veil of ‘anti-constitutional’ arguments.

It is clear that the President’s intent is not to confiscate guns; instead he hopes to make sure that those who are seen as a hazard do not have the opportunity to own and use them. The background checks that the executive orders call for will at least mitigate the number of

AGAINST: 0 people with ill-intentions that are able to purchase guns.

It is reasonable to see these frequent mass shootings, where guns have fallen into the wrong hands, and think, ‘We have got to fix this.’ Many believe the President’s actions are unconstitutional and limit our freedom, but we aren’t free when we live in fear of being shot while in a movie theater, at work or even school.

Obama’s administration is not taking away the freedoms of Americans by enforcing gun control, they are ensuring our safety. There are many instances where the law diminishes the rights of individuals who propose a clear and present danger to the public. If people weren’t worried about their safety they wouldn’t agree to go through TSA. It’s the same reasoning with trying to prevent gun violence through gun control. Congress and the Supreme Court have already outlined that certain individuals do not have the same right as everyone else in relation to gun ownership. It is the President’s duty to sharpen the focus of what that means.

In contrast to that, the NRA and the gun lobby have been successful in influencing politicians to side with their minority viewpoint for years, even though multiple polls show that 80 to 90 percent of people support background checks. We expect our

elected representatives to overcome the pressure of the gun lobby and vote for safety.

Obama’s executive orders are reasonable actions to take in a country that faces mass shootings so frequently.

Gun control should not be such a controversy when so many people in this country have been affected by gun violence. It becomes a matter of if you want to be secure or not and whether you feel safe with people carrying around guns who couldn’t even pass a background check. Obama’s concern is to not jeopardize our safety by giving guns to just anyone. The concern is not that everyone should be given the opportunity to have a gun. We shouldn’t be more concerned with someone else’s “freedom” more than our own lives.

People need to acknowledge that if nothing is done to fix this problem then there will be even more casualties.

Obama’s executive action is an instance where his actions clearly represent the opinion of the majority of Americans. How many Americans must die from gun violence before the majority of our law makers come together and make meaningful changes to the law to protect our safety? We are close to a tipping point.

Taking measures such as background checks doesn’t ensure that we are completely safe from gun violence, but it is certainly a start.

HOW A CONVICTED FELON BUYS A GUN (LEGALLY) IN THE U.S. NO QUESTIONS ASKED

Tommy Sherk

Co-Assistant Editors Will Clough Claire Pottenger

Head Copy Editor Ellie Booton

Art & Design Editors Aidan Epstein Yashi Wang

Co-Online Editors Michael Kraske Ellie Cook

Assistant Online Editors Tyler Keys Celia Hack

Online Head Copy Editor Caroline Heitmann

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Editorial Board

Celia Hack Michael Kraske Ellie Booton Tommy Sherk Claire Pottenger Will Clough Ellie Cook Robbie Veghlan Tyler Keys Caroline Heittman Daisy Bolin Courtney McClelland

Copy Editors

Robbie Veglahn Chloe Stanford Morgan Biles Daisy Bolin Elaine Chamberlain Courtney McClelland Celia Hack Caroline Heitmann Tommy Sherk Michael Kraske Ellie Cook Claire Pottenger Will Clough Ellie Booton

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Lucy Kendall Sarah Wilcox Kaylin McCan Seamus Carroll Ellis Nepstad Harrison Gooley Teagan Noblit Porter Carroll Catherine Brown Emily Fey Meg Thoma Isabel Epstein Mac Newman Grace Kost Jet Semrick Brooklyn Terrill

Co-Photo Editors Callie McPhail Hailey Hughes

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Section Editors: Editorial Section Editor Robbie Veglahn

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Courtney McClelland

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Assistant Live Broadcast Editors

Seamus Carroll Ellis Nepstad

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Multimedia Staff Joe McLiney Meg Thoma Will Hembree Ryan Hess Diego Galicia

Social Media Directors Grace Kost Ava Johnson

GER HARBIN THE

NEWS BRIEFS

3

A BREAKDOWN OF SCHOOL, LOCAL AND WORLDWIDE NEWS written by Mac Newman

T

he childhood classic Cinderella is coming to East as this year’s spring play. 55 actors make up the cast, and will perform the two-act play Feb. 11, 12 and 13 for high schoolers, middle schoolers and guests.

The cast, led by drama teacher Brian Capello, practices everyday after school for a couple of hours.

The lead role of Cinderella will be played by sophomore Savanna Worthington, along with senior Charlie Jensen as the prince.

“We still have a lot of work to do but it will come together in the end,” Worthington said. “The

people in the play are very talented and we have a great director and it’s just going to be a really good show.”

Worthington explained what’s it like to be the lead role of such a huge play, after having experience being it in her middle school play, Grease.

“It’s a lot of pressure, but it’s super fun and I love the role [of] Cinderella,” Worthington said. “She has some really nice songs and nice costumes.”

Worthington and the cast will also be performing in front of students from Indian Hills Middle School, who Worthington said is “great for the students who look up to us and are coming

Powerball Lottery Tickets Recently Won

W

ith no winners of the Powerball on Jan. 9, the jackpot amount raised to $1.5 billion. This was the largest lottery amount in history, as there were 19 consecutive Powerball drawings with no winner The Powerball is a large jackpot game where you match all balls to win, five white balls are drawn out of a drum of 69 white balls. Then one red ball, known as the Powerball, is drawn out of a different drum with 26 balls, every Wednesday and Saturday.

Senior Drake Yost regularly buys lottery tickets, but did not buy the recent Powerball, as he knew the odds were against him.

“I didn’t buy any of the 1.5 billion Powerballs because

Nelson-Atkins Museum Voted Top in Nation

I

n a Top 20 poll from usatoday.com based on Yelp reviews, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art was voted the number one museum in the US for 2015. The award is proudly displayed on the Nelson’s website, next to a picture displaying their well-known outdoor sculptures.

At the Nelson-Atkins, visitors can observe ancient sculptures and paintings from all over the world while roaming the marble halls.

The museum offers free admission as well as a dining room.

Sophomore Alex Zugazagoitia, son of the CEO of the Nelson-Atkins museum, explained how his

father reacted to winning.

“He came home super happy and actually weirded me out until he told me,” Zugazagoitia said.

The top 20 museums also listed the National World War I Museum at number five. The museum has many exhibits and a Liberty Memorial located outside the museum, dedicated to the people who lost their lives in WWI. Soon after World War I ended, Kansas City leaders formed the Liberty Memorial Association to create a lasting monument. In 1919, the LMA and citizens of Kansas City raised more than $2.5 million in just 10 days, which is the equivalent

I knew I would never win it,” Yost said. “I usually only buy scratchers because sometimes I win, and it’s funny to see how mad my friends get because I am wasting my money.”

With the odds of 1 in 292 million, there were three winning tickets from the numbers drawn Jan. 13. The tickets were sold in Chino Hills, Calif.; Munford, Tenn.; and in Melbourne Beach, Fla., according to money.cnn.com.

The lump sum will be $187.2 million each for the three winners. None of them will have to pay state taxes, as neither Florida nor Tennessee have a state income tax, and California has a decades-old law that exempts lottery winners from paying state taxes.

PHOTOS OF THEWEEK

HUMANS OF SM EAST photo by MORGAN BROWNING

SASHA HAMILTON & CHLOE WRIGHT

Cinderella Being Performed Feb. 11, 12 and 13

BOTTOM LEFT | During the winter pep assembly, junior Gretchen Crum performs the Varsity Lancer Dancers’ nationals jazz routine, “Lean On Me.”

photo by MORGAN BROWNING BELOW RIGHT | Junior Katie Crossette pushes a teammate across the gym in a relay race between Ping Pong Club and Creative CoLab during the winter sports pep assembly.

photo by ANNA THEIDE

FRESHMEN

How’s your semester going?

Wright: “Good!”

Hamilton: “Yeah I like the pep assemblies and everything that East does. It makes it a lot more fun. [The winter pep assembly] was awesome. I liked the dancers and the cheerleaders; that was really cool.”

Wright: “Oh and the sick thing by Ms. Schnaks.”

Hamilton: “Oh the Pound thing? That was really cool.”

BOTTOM | Senior Charlie Burkhead reaches to tape Mr. Haney’s head to the wall during the winter pep assembly.

Student Council raised $90 for Johnson County Christmas Bureau.

photo by KAITLYN STRATMAN

4

R E M R FO

TEACHE R

After being transfered to SM West, former science teacher Ruybe Davis sues the District for employment discrimination written by WILL CLOUGH AND ELLIE BOOTON

T

he lawsuit concerning former East teacher Ruybe Davis against Superintendent Jim Hinson and the Shawnee Mission School District has been pushed to a trial date of May 22, 2017.

After being transferred to SM West in March, Davis filed a lawsuit against Hinson and the District for compensation in excess of $100,000 as well as attorney fees. This was made on the grounds of employment discrimination. In Davis’ complaint, she stated that her 14th Amendment rights were violated as a black U.S. citizen.

District Assistant Superintendent of Communications Leigh Anne Neal wrote an email on behalf of Hinson and the SMSD, stating that Hinson will “decline comment as this is an active legal case involving the school district.”

Davis had previously taught Biology 1, Physiology and Human Anatomy classes at East. Former West science teacher Heidi Delaney was selected to fill Davis’ role as a biology teacher. Meanwhile, Davis was transferred to West to take the Delaney’s place.

Shortly before the beginning of West’s 2015-2016 school year, Davis resigned.

“Her transfer does not make any sense,” Davis’ attorney Charles S. Scott Jr said. “We believe that she was transferred solely because she’s black, for the purpose of teaching to African-American minority students . . . because white teachers didn’t want to teach [at West].”

During her eight years at East, Davis did not coach any sports or sponsor any extra-curricular activities. For this reason, the SMSD justifies the transfer – as stated in the case file. The resolution was a part of a district-wide effort to move teachers with extra-curricular responsibilities to the same building in which those activities occur.

“I thought [Davis] was [a qualified teacher],” said a teacher who asked that their name be withheld. “It’s hard to find science teachers that have strong content knowledge and want to be a teacher. And she had that. [She had] a degree in

“I believe [Davis] has a strong case. Otherwise we would not have filed it.... and based on the information that I have obtained and hope to obtain in the near future, I think she has a very viable case.”

— said Attorney Charles Scott Jr. biology, she was pre-med, she had a lot of anatomy classes, so I know she was qualified.”

Delaney has been employed by the SMSD for two years and worked previously at West. She is now the assistant basketball coach and a javelin coach for the track and field team at East. Delaney declined to comment on the details concerning her transfer.

In Davis’ case file, she asserts that she was never offered an opportunity to sponsor a club or coach a sport – a claim

Defense Answers Thurs. Sept. 3, 2015 The distract acknowledges the plaintiff’s grievance, and began negotiating

which the district denies in those documents.

“It is my understanding that the transfer was not made for legitimate educational reasons, but racial ones,” Scott said.

Davis and her lawyer point to demographic differences between the two schools as strong reasoning for their beliefs.

For the 2014 school year, the minority population at West was approximately 42 percent, significantly higher than East’s 15 percent minority enrollment.

The case file also states that Hinson made his decision based upon a “stereotypical and racist belief” that Davis, as a black teacher, would be better suited than a white teacher to teach the high numbers of black and minority students at West.

The SMSD denies this claim in the filed response.

The results of these claims will be eventually be discussed at a deposition scheduled in Sept. 2016 and followed with the official trial in 2017. Until then, the suit remains active and subject to change.

“I believe [Davis] has a strong case.” Scott said. “Otherwise we would not have filed it . . . and based on the information that I have obtained and hope to obtain in the near future, I think she has a very viable case.”

Court Begins in KC May 22, 2017 At 9:30 a.m., the trial will begin in a local Kansas courthouse

Case Begins Wed. July 8, 2015

Pretrial Conference Sept. 14 2016

Ruybe Davis files her official grievance against the district

The plaintiff and defense meet to negotiate the terms of the case

5

CUP

HALF FULL Coffee has lots of antioxidants beneficial to human health Protective against type two diabetes

Fuel the SCHOOL

Lowers chances of developing Parkinsons disease and lowers risk of heart failrure Helps boost energy level

CUP

HALF EMPTY Increases risk of having slightly higher cholestero Higher calorie intake which can potentially cause weight gain, especially the more sugars and flavoring added Overconsumption can cause insomnia, nervousness, irritability, upset stomach, and increasd heart beat Causes dehydration

written by TYLER KEYS photos by CALLIE MCPHAIL

New coffee kiosk installed on the second floor, now a third location to buy coffee

A

new coffee kiosk opened at the end of the south ramp on Jan. 20 for the convenience of students who can’t make it to the fourth floor shop from their morning classes. As an extension of the original coffee shop, it will only sell drinks that are offered in the shop, and be open during seminars and second breakfast hour.

The coffee shop is run by 20 marketing students and other student volunteers, some of whom are students in need of extra job development skills. Six of the more experienced volunteers were assigned to transfer over to the kiosk and will rotate between working the kiosk and the shop.

The idea of the kiosk was the brainchild of a committee made up of student representatives from Family And Consumer Sciences, marketing and woodshop classes.

“A group of kids last school year got together with teachers and students to remodel the coffee shop,” special education teacher and head of the coffee shop Julie Paradise said. ”The kids suggested that it’s hard for everybody to get to the fourth floor and it would be easier to have another place in the school.”

Junior Trent Burnum is a part of that committee and also has learned how to be the bookkeeper of the shop. Now working

in the shop during third hour, Burnum is one of the volunteers who will move to the kiosk.

“I think it’s a really cool program trying to help the kids with special needs learn job skills; it’s very important to find a role they can do in life,” Burnum said. “We also want to try and make more profit so we can donate more to charities.”

Most of the shop’s profits go to helping families in need or providing students with

We were looking at something simple, but he made it so much more beautiful and something that’s a part of the school. It will be there long long after we’re gone — special education teacher Julie Paradise said extra opportunities to develop job skills, but due to the coffee shop’s decreasing sales recently, they aren’t able to help as many people with their profits. In August, the team came up with the idea of a kiosk to raise sales. Paradise suggested the new kiosk be built by night maintenance custodian Price Wright, who also helped paint and decorate the coffee shop on the fourth floor.

Paradise provided wood, and Wright turned to his sketchbook. After the rejection of about 10 sketches, they agreed on the current one: wood panels and shelves emblazoned with a steaming cup of coffee, and a rolling cart with a “Columbia Brew” sign. Wright began building in November, covering up the spot where the old student store used to be.

“I just took the background of that old beat up wall with the glass and just went over that,” Wright said. “I came up with an idea, a design to catch attention.”

Wright is a certified carpenter, and has been working at East since 1999. When asked to take on the construction, he didn’t hesitate to agree.

“I came here to serve, I didn’t come here to be a leader or take positions,” Wright said.

While Wright didn’t get paid extra to do the work, he believes it’s all part of his duty to East. The committee plans on rewarding him with a Visa gift card.

“We were looking at something simple, but he made it so much more beautiful and something that’s a part of the school. It will be there long after we’re gone,” Paradise said.

Friend and supporter of Shawnee Mission East Highschool

www.amuniversal.com

www.gocomics.com

7

ACCESS GRANTED

Youtube and Pinterest were recently unblocked on school computers, in the hopes of bettering students’ education

BROWNING written by EMILY FEY photo by MORGAN

OUR OPINION

What is your opinion on Pinterest and Youtube becoming unblocked?

I think there is a lot of educational values to those sites, things like inspiration for art students and designers.

I don’t really rely on either of those sites on a daily basis, but it will be nice to be able to look things up without the annoying little pop-up window.

My co-section editor and I use a shared Pinterest board to communicate ideas for inspiration, so it is a really good way to communicate and actually is benefiting our education.

Hailey Hughes

Chase Tetrick

Anna McClelland

H

igh school students in the Shawnee Mission School District now have access to YouTube and Pinterest on their school laptops. These previously blocked sites have been available for student use since the start of the second semester.

Multiple requests were sent to the district from both teachers and students about unblocking the sites. It wasn’t until careful research and review of the educational relevance of YouTube and Pinterest that students were allowed to access them on their school computers.

The district sent out a statement that explains its rationale for allowing students’ access to these sites was that the “benefit of supporting student access to educational resources outweighs the possibility of accessing inappropriate content.” The statement was sent to administrators, teachers and parents.

“YouTube and Pinterest continue to broaden the scope of content providers,” said Drew Lane, Director of Information and Communications Technologies. “Today, there’s a significant number of academically appropriate vendors posting content to these two resources.”

Principal John McKinney believes that unblocking Pinterest and YouTube will help give teachers another option for teaching, and help make what they are trying to teach more relevant and applicable to the real world.

“The pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to sites like YouTube and Pinterest,” McKinney said.

Phys.org says that YouTube has more than 900 educational partners, including organizers of TED Talks.

AP U.S. history teacher, Curtis White, plans on using YouTube to show his class TED Talks to challenge his students to use more in-depth thinking.

“I want my students to think in that way when they are looking at history,” White said. “Take a look at different perspectives. Don’t just take one source, but corroborate

with many sources. Get closer to the true story.”

FACS teachers also plan on using YouTube to help students learn cooking procedures, such as how to properly twist a pretzel, or how to perform the different types of cuts used in the kitchen.

“For FACS in general, [YouTube] will allow students a wider variety of media to get knowledge that they need,” said FACS teacher Samantha Abel.

Pinterest will be used in the classroom with students in sewing classes, where teachers are planning on using Pinterest for Polyvore, a site which allows users to mix and match clothing pieces from different sites to create outfits.

While these sites were unblocked specifically to benefit AP history and FACS classes, students will also be able to use YouTube and Pinterest’s resources for other classes, such as English.

“I like to listen to the books we read in english on Youtube just because you can turn up the speed, so you get a lot done and read a lot quicker,” said junior Allie Libeer.

The district is still following state regulations and will continue to apply Content Filtering to YouTube and Pinterest. Even so, there were teachers and administrators who had opposing viewpoints to unblocking these sites.

Some were concerned that not all content on those sites are academically relevant. Others were concerned about the probability of finding inappropriate content on both of those sites.

While YouTube and Pinterest are the only sites being unblocked now, Lane says that he wouldn’t be against looking into other sites in the future to unblock.

“We don’t have our sights set on anything in particular,” Lane said. “We wanted to see how YouTube and Pinterest went. But depending on how that goes, I wouldn’t be surprised to look at additional sites in the future.”

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9

score vs salary NAME SUBJECT

Celia Hack TEST NO.

DATE

1/25/2015

HOUR

Taking the ACT and SAT is unfairly skewed in favor of families with more privileged economic backgrounds

opinion by CELIA HACK $700.

With that amount of money, I could replace a hoverboard, pay for a 60-inch flat screen TV or fly to France.

But you know what my family will be doing instead of eating bonbons in Paris? My parents are paying for an ACT prep tutor – just what I wanted for Christmas.

Thanks, Mom! I’m not trying to flaunt this money. In fact, I’m a bit ashamed that I, someone who has never believed the claim of “life’s not fair,” will be basically paying for my test score. I feel like a cheater now, someone who’s just learning how to play the test, someone who isn’t smart enough to get the score I want on my own.

But as I hear more talk around school about the ever-stressful standardized testing, I realize how commonplace paid test prep actually is. I’m not claiming every student taking the test has a tutor or has attended some kind of class, but I’m aware that I’m not the only one, nor am I the only one paying a slightly ridiculous amount of money to do this.

In 2009, the New York Times compared SAT scores to family income. The lowest income group, less than $20,000/year, had, on average, a score of about 100 points less than the $80,000-$100,000/year income group. Scores continued to spike as family income grew. On average, the score of each income bracket, which grew at a rate of $20,000, increased by 12 points each time.

Money changes scores. For $700, my tutor claims he can raise my ACT score by at least four points. I

20%

of schools in the US are test optional

14-15

haven’t taken the test yet, but his record is good and I don’t doubt his ability to do this. Those four extra points, fed to me through tricks, tips and tons of timed practice tests, have the potential to mean a better college acceptance rate and larger scholarships.

And these scores are important. At the University of Missouri, students automatically receive $6,500 a year by getting a 31 or higher on the ACT. Though they also have to be in the top 10% of their class, a certain ACT score can almost entirely guarantee a student money.

It’s not just tutors and test-prep classes that fall under the category of how income can affect a test score, though. Family income generally affects the quality of life as well, and when one isn’t worried about getting enough food to eat, they’re more inclined to be able to focus on school.

This can actually be a relevant piece of information in the Shawnee Mission School District, especially when comparing test scores to amount of kids that qualify for free or reduced-price lunches in SMSD. According to the Kansas State Department of Education, in 2014-2015, 9.37 percent of kids at East are approved for these lunches. At West, 45.28 percent of the student body qualifies. And, in 2015, according to KSDE, East’s average ACT score was 25.4, and West’s was 22.7.

While that may not be direct cause-and-effect, I definitely see correlation. And it isn’t fair.

Whether it be tutoring, test-prep classes or just growing up in a privileged environment, it seems to me that standardized test scores are linked to family

Highest Ranked Test Optional Schools

more points when a test prep class was taken

$1000

average cost of an ACT/ SAT test prep class

Wake Forest University Colorado College Bates College Bryn Mawr College Colby College Smith College Wesleyan University Hamilton College Middlebury College Bowdoin College

income. Colleges shouldn’t continue to base college acceptance on these scores.

Luckily, some schools have begun to recognize the correlation between standardized test scores and family income, and how they don’t reflect intelligence.

Schools like Ithaca College and George Washington University – that is to say, mostly private, liberal arts colleges – have gone “test-optional” in their admission process in the past two years, meaning ACT and SAT scores aren’t a required part of the admissions process.

According to the New York Times, Wake Forest University went test-optional in 2008 and saw a 4 percent increase in underrepresented minorities six years later.

However, many public schools, like University of Missouri, are still giving out money for high test scores. The Ivy League schools have yet to make any move to go test optional, and neither have any big names like Stanford, CalTech or Duke.

So, big name schools are still relying on data that seems to be skewed by socioeconomic status, and I know I’ll still be feeling slightly guilty about the way I got my ACT score if I do attend one of them.

It’s up to us to recognize this flawed system for what it truly is. Go ahead, shell out the $700 for a tutor.

Realize you’re playing into this system though, and try to keep the injustice of this system in mind for later, perhaps when you’re granted the power to change it.

Average SAT Test Scores and Salary <$20K

458

$40K - $60K

498

$80 - $100K

527

$140K - $160K

542

>$200K

579

BETTER

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opinion by JET SEMRICK

2015: World

Champions Back to Back

AL

Champions

BLUE

Despite the Chiefs recent success, Kansas City is and will remain a baseball city

B

aseball is a part of everyday life during the season in Kansas City.

We are a baseball town. Sure, some people might say I’m jumping on the baseball bandwagon because the Royals are world champions, but our love for baseball dates back decades before the most recent craze. In my opinion, this town just looks better in blue.

The Chiefs are great, but nothing unites Kansas City like baseball. The Royals play 162 games in a season. That translates into 162 opportunities to tune in, meet up at a restaurant or, even better, grab a friend and head out to the game. Every night I have a chance during the season, I watch the Royals game with my family or friends. That simply doesn’t happen with football. Football might own one day of the week but that still only

adds up to 16 games. They just can’t compete with a sport that plays nearly every day.

With the long-lived popularity of T-ball and Little League, almost every Kansas Citian grew up playing or watching some level of baseball. The Royals had the highest local ratings of any team in baseball since 2002 with nearly 114,000 families tuning in at game time. Every morning in the streets and coffee shops of Kansas City, you will hear people talking about the previous night’s game.

And that leads me to accessibility. With so many games each season, there are countless opportunities to head out to the ballpark.

Tickets are affordable. Hot dogs are abundant.

Drinks are cold. It’s the thing to do in the summer.

Then we took the crown in 2015. Nothing else in my lifetime has packed 800,000 people into the same place. Fans walked from miles away and ditched their cars on the highway

Super Bowl IV Champions

Featured in Super Bowl I

Caleb Krakow

I

t was 4:00 a.m. of Tuesday Nov. 4, and instead of being tucked in the warmth of my bed, I was getting ready to hand out rally towels at the World Series Parade.

My friend had convinced me to drive to downtown to the Kansas City Star building, where we had volunteered to hand out rally towels to all the people walking and driving by at the parade. We saw everything from new born babies, to old men who were probably at the last parade in 1985. My friend and I single handedly handed out an

to arrive at a downtown that was thoroughly unequipped to accompany the masses of people that gathered to celebrate a World Championship. Nevertheless, it was an ecstatic crowd. It was a “blue” snow day as the city shut down. If that doesn’t say something about Kansas City’s passion for baseball, I don’t know what does.

This is the Heartland. We love baseball, celebrations and Friday night fireworks.

Baseball is as much a part of the Midwest way as barbecue is. In the humid months of summer, you can always find time to catch a baseball game. There is just something special about 7:07 pm.

Don’t get me wrong here, I will always enjoy tailgating in the parking lot and watching the Chiefs games on Sunday, but Kansas City has been and always will be a baseball town.

1970:

1967:

photos courtesy of MCT CAMPUS

in

OUR OPINION Which colors do we wear best?

estimated eight thousand rally towels over the course of 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Yes. We were the only two volunteers handing out rally towels. And yes, my whole body did want to collapse by the time the day was over. But yes, it was worth it.

Knowing that I contributed to the Royals World Series Parade, something that would go down in history, is something I will forever remember. Hopefully, I’ll be handing out rally towels again in 30 years.

2

015 was the year of champions for Kansas Citians.

Our hearts were filled with pride when the Royals brought home our beloved city a world championship.

No longer was Kansas City a city of farm town cliches and good barbecue – now it was a city of crown holders and good barbecue. And the best part was that the hype wasn’t over. Then we had the Chiefs’ season to look forward to. A city once infamous for its lackluster

Courtney McClelland

sports teams had now been put on the map for its victorious sports teams.

Never in my 16 years of living did I think I would be able to say that my city — full of midwestern stereotypes — would be home to World Series champions. But now we had a shot at the Super Bowl, too? It almost seemed surreal. And that’s because it was.

We got ahead of ourselves. We were still on our Royals high, but can you blame us? I mean 1985

was a long time ago — sorry Mom. But unfortunately, our run was cut short when the Chiefs lost.

It was a dreary Sunday afternoon. My dad was yelling at the TV and I was doing my best to be optimistic, but it wasn’t looking good. The fourth quarter came and I knew, what was once our city of champions was now our city of almost champions.

2016, let’s not wait another 30 years for a championship.

11 opinion by ISABEL EPSTEIN

T

PERCEPTIONS

Contrary to common belief, cheerleading takes strengh and dedication

he spotters held their breath while my flyer balanced on one foot above my head. Suddenly, she tipped over and came tumbling down right on top of me. But this wasn’t the first time. I get used as a human punching bag at almost every cheer practice. My arms turn red from catching my flyer. My shoulder has a practically permanent dent from my flyer’s finger nails. But this time the room started spinning and I got sent to the trainer.

Cheerleading seems like it’s all smiles, cute uniforms and Columbia blue pom poms. That is, until someone gets a concussion or their eyelashes ripped out.

Sure, we wear short skirts and do little chants on the sidelines, but cheer is based on stunting, which is just a fancy name for flinging people six feet into the air for entertainment. The problem is, we only get to stunt a few times per game or pep assembly, so most of our hard work goes unnoticed. We end up being written off as airheads that jump around and chant like broken records.

Yes, girl in the back of the stands, I do see you whispering and pointing.

So don’t let the smiles and skirts confuse you, stunting is hardcore. It’s kind of like lifting weights, but the weight is a moving, 100 pound person who is almost as tall as you.

Plus, if you drop the weight, you have to throw yourself under it to catch it. That’s exactly how a freshman got half of her eyelashes ripped out at stunt camp. Practice is not exactly reassuring when I usually end up with a slapped face, bruised collarbone or numb wrist.

But I put up with a whole year of sore arms and bruises and being stereotyped because of that gravity-defying moment when my group hits a stunt. How proud I get when my flyer can do some crazy pose on one foot in the air because we have the stunt balanced just right.

The little flutter in my stomach when my coach texts our group about new stunts that she wants us to do because she knows we can take it. The gasp from the student section when my flyer does a backflip onto her stomach in our new pyramid.

Cheerleading has found a way to combine short skirts, stagefright and people falling on your head into one completely underrated sport. So the next time you’re at a game or a pep assembly, please resist from making some snarky comment about us to your friends. Would you like to come down here and try to do what we do?

Didn’t think so.

photo by ELIZABETH ANDERSON

WORTH RISK THE

opinion by MORGAN BILES

Indulging in Chipotle outweighs the risks of E. coli Dear E. coli, t has recently come to my attention that you have been attacking and bullying one of my best friends: Chipotle.

But you’re not a typical 21st century bully, spitting hateful words over Twitter. You’re the old school kind. You meet people face to face and give them a blow straight to the stomach. Let’s review a few of your crimes, shall we?

First you infected scores of people along the West Coast, causing the closing of Chipotles throughout the region. I think even Voldemort would agree that’s inhumane. Then you continued to invade Chipotles across the country, including one heartless attack in Johnson County, which rocked the suburban community to its core. As a result of your actions, all Chipotle stores will be closed on Feb. 8 so the company can re-organize their battle plans and address their apron-wearing forces. This is a tragedy, as a day without Chipotle is a day without happiness.

If this wasn’t bad enough, you also convinced your friend, norovirus, to ally with you and make a bunch of Californians sick. Because of your friend’s actions, Chipotle is now facing a criminal investigation over how they handled one of the

I

invasions, but I think we can all agree that the only criminal here is you, E. coli.

Chipotle doesn’t deserve this. They work hard every day to provide us with fresh, locally- sourced, tasty food. Yes, they probably made a couple mistakes which allowed you to infiltrate their beautiful system, but you made the mistake of going after a true American treasure. After all, there’s nothing more American than a Mexican restaurant started by a white guy.

I’ll give it to you, trying to drain the American spirit by making us scared of Chipotle is clever. But if you think that we will cower in fear, you’re wrong. *cue patriotic music and a rippling flag* As Americans, the only thing we love more than food is freedom – the freedom to eat a two pound burrito and call it healthy because it has lettuce in it. So we will fight for this.

After all, if people spent days fighting over what color a dress is (white and gold obviously), then you can bet that we will fight to protect our unalienable right to delicious food. And finally, we

will photo s by L not surrender EAH O CONO to your fear tactics. It R has been said that the only thing stronger than fear is hope. This proves true, because the hope that we will one day sweet-talk our way into a quesarito is much stronger than the fear of a hospital visit. At the end of the day, there is no amount of foodborne illness that will stop us from reaching burrito nirvana, so your attempts are futile.

Basically what I’m trying to say here is, go to hell, E. coli.

And by hell I mean Qdoba.

Sincerely, America P.S. Maybe as a part of your surrender, could you convince Chipotle to give us all free guacamole?

12

Ring ON IT

PUTA

Where Jensen Got Her Rings

Sophomore Jensen Pindell has been collecting rings over multiple years, each with a personal story written by MEG THOMA

S

ophomore Jensen Pindell twists her silver band ring back and forth on her thumb.

“My family calls it my arm party.”

She’s referring to her six rings and stack of bracelets that she proudly displays daily on her manicured hands.

She has collected rings since second grade, and is always looking for a new ring that comes with a new story to tell.

Pindell has been influenced by simple pieces she notices from different places. From layered rings on the beach, to authentic mountain necklaces.

Growing up in a family of all girls, Pindell was always digging through old jewelry boxes, and pestering her mom to take her to the store Stuff was a day-to-day hobby.

“I’ve always opened my jewelry drawer to [Jensen] and her sisters,” said Ashley Pindell, Jensen’s mom. let them try things on and share some of my favorite pieces with them,” said Ashley Pindell, Jensen’s mom. **** Fishing through a shoe-box of old photos and memorabilia from her mother’s childhood, Jensen

discovered her first ring, a smooth turquoise heart, small enough to fit Jensen bought this ring in a boutique called her slender finger.

The Mooses Caboose in Vail, Colorado “It was my first ring that ever really brought me to enjoying it all,” Pindell said.

She found this in her mom’s goodwill pile Her favorite turquoise heart ring, now worn on her left thumb, serves as more than just a piece of statement This ring was a gift from her aunt who lives jewelry. It’s also a symbol of her mom’s own high school in Toledo, Ohio days.

“When I see it on her, it makes me remember when I wore it at her age and what it meant to me,” said Mrs. She readjusted her geometric ring on her right pinky out Pindell. of habit, which coincidentally was the reason leading to the **** loss of this ring five years prior.

As she made her way through the farmer’s market, Hunkered down on the bottom bunk of her stepducking in an effort to avoid the relentless rain, a 6-foot-5, grandparents farm house, the ring wiggled off her finger and white bearded man with a jewelry stand caught her eye. slowly but surely nuzzled into the dark shag carpet.

Each trunk, hanging with earrings, necklaces and This is where it had spent the next three years, until her bracelets, had a unique feel that separated his stand from the grandparents were moving. rest.

“We pulled the bunk beds out and shook the shag carpet In search for a ring, and not a life story, she heard about and low and behold, my sister found the ring in the carpet the struggles of a man with a future NFL career, ended by an under the bed,” Pindell said. injury, who fell in love with the artistry of creating jewelry.

“Finding something yourself brings more meaning to it Of a man she had an immediate connection with. and it’s almost like it was put there just so you could find it.”

“He was much older than I was, and he felt that he could share his story with me, so I felt connected to the person behind the ring,” Pindell said. “It will always remind me of his story.” **** The place she spotted her next treasure was filled with a little bit of everything, old fashioned candies, chiseled slingshots, homemade crochet scarves, everything local.

The ring caught her eye at the register in a small saucer and since has been one of her favorite rings. The band was thin, metallic and shaped in a hexagon.

She found this ring in her grandmother’s basement in second grade Bought in a farmers market in Big Sky, Montana Jensen found this ring in her grandmother’s basement along with the silver curved ring and it used to belong to her mom

photos by AVA SIMONSEN

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The journey to modeling has brought two senior girls unforgettable experiences written by SEAN OVERTON

ABOVE & RIGHT | Senior Ainslie Stern poses in photos shot by local photographer Harrison Quinn. (Courtesy of Quinn) FAR RIGHT | Senior Jenna Householder models in a photoshoot for designer Amanda Valentine, known for her work on Project Runway

got up to the runway, posed and held it for what felt like 10 minutes. ‘Yes Ainslie!’ ‘Hold that!’ ‘Take your moment!’

All eyes were on me,” senior Ainslie Stern said. “I felt so confident walking and strutting my stuff.”

Moments like these are what makes all the drama that comes with being a model in high school worth it. Stern and senior Jenna Householder have grown in confidence and self image because of their modeling experiences.

Both girls grew up enjoying the spotlight. They both thrived in theatre, and Stern also enjoyed participating in show choir. When a family friend and photographer approached Householder about modeling in sixth grade, she couldn’t wait to get started. They sent her pictures to a child talent agency, Patricia Steven’s, and within a year she was featured on MTV’s show, “Made”, where she would be mentored by a professional.

As Stern got older she started to develop a naturally tall and skinny body, so people always told her she should try modeling. When she was 14 years old she decided to meet with Exposure Model and Talent agency. The first two years she barely got any jobs. She didn’t realize modeling was going to be part of her future until the summer going into her junior year when she started having more runway jobs and photoshoots.

Stern and Householder have been photographed and critiqued for a majority of their youth. When they got to high school, they both had to figure out how open they would be about their modeling careers with their classmates. At the beginning, Stern was nervous, but after signing with the agency CLICK in New York, she stopped caring what people thought of her posts, and turned her social media presence up. Now, when she has photoshoots, posting them on Instagram can help increase her followers or make a connection for future work.

Householder has never been a fan of posting about modeling on social media. When she first started in seventh grade, she had a Facebook where she shared everything and thought it was cool. Now that she is older she has realized she doesn’t need people’s recognition and doesn’t find her pictures “sexy” enough to share

anyways.

Among other modeling frustrations like sharing her photos, Householder also hates the stigma of models having eating disorders.

When Householder’s agent told her she was too muscular, she didn’t get upset over it. She explained that often straight-bodied model’s bodies are natural, otherwise working out to achieve that is just part of the job. Through modeling, she has learned that image critique is inevitable, and doesn’t take it too seriously.

When Stern was in New York City this past summer, she cried for the first time while modeling because of a blunt photographer.

He told her that her poses were “weird”, they “sucked” and it caused her to break down.

Ultimately, she realized that this was just his method, and she would run into other harsh personalities throughout her career. She learned how to handle situations like that, which will help her the next time.

After her awful shoot experience, she ended up with some of her favorite pictures ever.

Though modeling has made the girls overcome things most high schoolers never have to, they do it because they love it. Householder felt like she became another person when she did a Project Runway photoshoot for Amanda Valentine.

“It was these huge, flowy couture dresses,” Householder said. “I had my hair and makeup crazy, they put on music and you just start going. It doesn’t feel like it’s you. It’s nice because you get to

let it all out.”

Stern knew she was meant to model when she got cast for a runway show at Halls, a high-end Kansas City department store.

Her agent sent her to a casting at Crown Center with hundreds of people of all shapes, ages and races. She went in thinking there was no way she would ever book the job. Her mom, Teddi Pendland, even told her not to get her hopes up. A few days later when she found out she booked it she was surprised and ecstatic. Now whenever Hall’s needs a model, Stern is their go-togirl. After that she went on to shoot for Champion, Her Life Magazine and signed a modeling contract in New York City.

While Stern is moving to New York after high school, Householder has decided to sign with an agency after deciding on a college, and see where that takes her.

After Stern dealt with the intense photographers and people critiquing her body, she feels confident she is ready for New York next year, and she will have her mom to help out the first month.

From the start Pendland has helped set up Stern’s first photoshoot, gone on every job and helped plan gigs with her agent.

With all the stereotypes, Stern and Householder have experienced, they have loved modeling and their characters have developed because of it. It taught them independence, confidence and how to work with others while holding their own.

15

SUPPLYING SPIRIT

Two East moms, Tory Krebs and Sarah Clark, begin spirit wear business for corporations

S

hirts are stacked up in clear Sterlite containers seven feet high, clipboards are laying around everywhere to make sure no order gets lost. Tory Krebs, mother of junior Will Krebs and sophomore Ben Krebs, scans her email for new orders. Will is futilely trying to make it in one trip, lugging an armful of boxes to and from the back of his mom’s Chevrolet Suburban. Tory and Will then drive around the local area delivering merchandise to each customer.

All Things Athletic is a local apparel company that aims to provide high quality spirit wear at an affordable price. ATA sells their merchandise to many different local schools and businesses while a percentage of the revenue goes back to those schools and businesses.

ATA began three years ago when Krebs teamed up with East parent Sarah Clark, marketing their merchandise under the slogan “crazy good gear.”

The cheerleading team was the first group to have spirit wear made. Clark was working directly with the cheerleaders and it was a natural fit to provide them with the gear and designs that the girls were wanting, while also receiving a percentage of the revenue back to help pay for whatever they needed. Krebs and Clark decided that this contribution was an effort-free way to give money back to benefit cheer.

“Funding for athletics is very limited

written by ELLIE MITCHELL photos by HALEY BELL

in the State of Kansas,” said president of for customers, they created a website with the East Booster Board John St. Clair. “The most of the merchandise. revenue we have received from our spirit ATA receives orders through email or wear has helped significantly.” in person. They print spiritwear for local ATA’s goal is to benefit the groups by country clubs, high schools, elementary selling spirit wear. At East, the Booster Board schools and corporations. ATA also receives receives the extra spirit wear money. Last many custom orders for special events like year, the Booster Board received thousands high school dances, family reunions and of dollars from ATA sales. The money went spring break vacation groups. Krebs and straight to the athletic teams at East as it is Clark sell merchandise on East’s fee payment important to distribute that money right back day, meet the coaches night, different sports out so the teams can events and anywhere benefit right away, else where East fans We try to design spirit wear that people may be ready to buy according to St. Clair. not only will like, but will wear with pride. new spirit wear.

After the cheer team displayed Krebs and Clark — said Sarah Clark have several local their gear on game days as part of their screen printing and uniform, other clubs, parents and students embroidery facilities that they use to print all from East noticed the design and quality of their merchandise. Krebs drives 25 minutes the spirit wear and contacted ATA to design from her home in Prairie Village to one of the merchandise for them. Krebs and Clark saw manufacturing facilities at least once a day the need for generic, non-sport specific spirit where all the raw materials, like blank T-shirts wear. The next fall began selling standard and hats, are shipped. She double checks all Lancer T-shirts, belts, sweatshirts and bucket the recent orders to see if the merchandise hats the next school year. is in the correct size, color and amount. To “We try to design spirit wear that people make sure that nothing gets messed up, a not only will like, but will wear with pride,” proof, which is an example of each item, is Clark said. made.

It was then that Krebs and Clark realized “The manufacturing facility is the second that they had the ability to create spirit wear largest in the Midwest,” Krebs said. “We share not only for East, but outside of the district. In the equipment with several local vendors.” order to make the company more accessible To help the two keep up with trends, East

students help with graphic design ideas for merchandise. ATA is always looking to employ students designers who are familiar with Adobe Illustrator who can make shirts for various groups. Sophomore John Roney comes to Krebs with ideas based off what his peers feel that are popular and would wear the most. A proof is made of that item which usually takes two weeks to produce.

“I try to come up with ideas that are classic and people will have for a long time,” Roney said. “We also use Comfort Colors, which is not cheap and gets softer after each wash hoping that will increase sales.”

Senior Audrey Dickens also helps design different T-shirts for various groups. Dickens has made shirts for Shawnee Mission South High School Swim and Dive and East varsity cheer.

“Since I wear All Things Athletic, I know what I would like to see on my spirit wear,” Dickens said. “Also, being involved in activities that utilize spirit wear has helped me since I can listen to others and their feedback.”

Krebs and Clark are currently designing merchandise for East spring break in Seaside, Fla. and other custom orders. ATA continues to expand their business market while still providing “crazy good gear.”

popular designs made local SME Seaside spring break

St. Paul’s day school

Milburn country club

Blue Moose soccer club

16

J

The student cadets of ROTC are often seen but not heard. There is more to their story than identical uniforms and stiff stances.

photos by HAILEY HUGHES AND CALLIE MCPHAIL

17

written by COURTNEY MCCLELLAND

unior Blake Johnson yells out the commands.

Right face. Forward march.

Platoon halt. Left face. Present arms.

His platoon, consisting of students from Shawnee Mission East, South and West, are competing their armed routine, holding rifles, that they’ve been preparing since the summer. All 12 members of the platoon know that one little mistake spotted by one of the six judges can send them from first to last.

Johnson, along with eight boys and girls from East, are part of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). Their mornings are spent at West, where they learn everything they’ll need for success at ROTC competitions, from naval sciences to respect.

But the armed routine is only one part of the platoon’s score for the day. They’ll also receive a full uniform inspection, from checking the shine on their shoes to making sure their hair doesn’t touch their ears. Cadets also take an academic exam that tests their knowledge on naval sciences, drill movements and leadership skills, along with a physical training test. Together, all of these will determine the results for the competition.

First hour Naval Sciences is spent learning everything from oceanography to leadership and respect that they can carry with them past high school.

“There’s simply no other class like it,” said sophomore ROTC member Shane Phillips. “No other class teaches you how to hold a rifle, no other class teaches you the respect and responsibility the military upholds.”

Cadets learn respect by addressing Commander Vazquez and Chief Wesbrook as “sir” and following higher ranked peers.

Phillips, a Lieutenant Junior Grade, reports to Johnson, a Lieutenant. Responsibility is practiced by upholding the

integrity of the uniform: making sure it is free of lint, hair, dirt and dust and all ribbons are worn at the correct measurements.

“When you’re in uniform you can’t mess around,” Phillips said.

“You have to be mature in it, you want to be mature in it.”

However, the respect of the uniform is not always upheld by everyone. Every Tuesday, ROTC cadets are required to wear their uniform, and every Tuesday Johnson and Phillips both feel the stares and teasing that the uniform brings with it.

“You can kind of tell when you walk through the lunch room that people are looking at you,” Johnson said.

People call Johnson offensive names, like ‘razi nazis’, and wipe Ketchup on the back of his uniform.

Johnson knows the teasing is an insignificant obstacle on his path to becoming a marine after high school. Johnson chose to participate in ROTC because of the benefits it will offer him in the military, including an automatic promotion after serving in ROTC for three years.

In addition, many students choose ROTC because of the leadership and self-confidence it provides. Upperclassman show underclassman the right way to hold a rifle, while underclassman learn how to lead through watching the upperclassman lead physical training sessions.

These lessons of respect and responsibility that ROTC instills in cadets fosters a sense of leadership and self confidence that Phillips believes he would lack without the program. Both Johnson and Phillips agree that the ROTC program has been nothing but beneficial; quitting has never been a thought for either of them.

It is the combination of respect, responsibility and leadership that make the ROTC program a

priceless experience to Johnson and Phillips — even if they warrant unwanted stares or get people think this means they’re actually in the military. “[Me and the commander] aren’t recruiters, we’re retired military,” said ROTC teacher and Senior Chief Westbrook. “The only thing we want to do is help cadets

be better citizens and leaders in what they do.”

Through ROTC, cadets learn the fundamentals behind the military, without any obligation to enlist. When they graduate high school with their ROTC diploma, cadets will be decorated with medals and filled with military morales.

ABOVE | Members of ROTC are required to wear their hats, or “covers,” when they go outside. They are adorned by an anchor on one side and an ROTC pin on the other BELOW| Junior Blake Johnson shows off his marks. He wears a gold cadet cord while most members wear silver to recognize the merits he earned during training

18

g n i n o m m Su a Samurai written by ROBBIE VEGLAN

Senior and IB student Chloe Neighbor, has been training to become a samurai

photo by CALLIE MCPHAIL

NINJA

V.S SAMURAI

A look into the main differences of a samurai and a ninja

Samurai

Noblemen that followed the bushido code when they engage in combat Unemployed samurai were known as Ronin The samurai were onsidered an elite class.

T

hen-sophomore Chloe Neighbor peered through her black-framed glasses at the end-of-the-year project list posted at the front of her EHAP class. Scanning for her name, a slow smirk creeps onto her face as she realizes she hit the jackpot.

Chloe Neighbor: The End of the Samurai Most students had no experience being Renaissance painters or protestant reformers. But Neighbor had a slight advantage over her peers; she has actually lived her project.

Senior Chloe Neighbor has been formally trained in the arts of Aikido and Kenjutsu, the two main disciplines of the Samurai warrior.

Since her freshman year, she has been spending more than 10 hours a week in her dojo sparring, learning how to flip someone twice her size over head and tearing tatami mats to shreds with her katana, reinforced with folded steel and forged just for her in Asia.

She and her friends spend hours burrowed into her brown leather couch, absorbing endless ninja and samurai movies.

Her friends thought the feats were superhuman. But Chloe would watch, recognizing certain moves, and think to herself: Wait, I just learned how to do that today.

“All my training has made me appreciate that you really never know people’s story.” Neighbor said. “And it took until second semester senior year for anyone to know mine.” **** “WRONG. Try again” Neighbor hesitates as she racks her brain for the fragmented Japanese vocabulary she’s learned over the years. It’s the student’s job to know what Japanese command calls for which action.

“Time’s up. 10 more backwards breakfalls.”

Over and over, Neighbor and the rest of her dojo would try and fail to pass their sensei’s vocab pop quiz. Wrong answer after wrong answer brought the group’s total to 170 reps of back breakfalls, essentially a backwards burpee. Or according to Neighbor, “hell on earth”.

Drenched in sweat, Neighbor looks to her sensei for instruction.

They used hand-to-hand combat weapons, including Samurai Swords “You must be better next time, or your next warm-up will be even harder,” Sensei Mick Chambers said. “Now, let’s start our first lesson of the day.”

Chambers, a fifth degree black-belt in aikido and master black-belt of kenjutsu, embraces the grueling physicality of the conditioning. After all, you don’t train in Japan and travel the world teaching martial arts by taking it easy.

Chambers stresses what he believes to be the most vital part about the samurai culture:w teaching peace and serenity over violence and hotheadedness.

While aikido, a form of hand to hand martial arts, and kenjutsu, the art of the sword, are both means of physically and mentally breaking other human beings, the samurai culture is one of passiveness and honor.

“Samurai NEVER strike first,” Chambers said. “Cowards stab you in the back when they kill you; samurai look you in the eye.”

That being said, a trained samurai like Neighbor could break every bone in your body and sever your limbs without batting an eye.

While Neighbor is proficient in aikido, she is most comfortable with her katana in hand. When practicing their sword cuts, students soak straw tatami mats in water to add density and roll them up to their desired thickness.

One mat equals the density of a human arm.

Two the density of a human thigh.

Three a human torso.

With precision and grace rather than brute force, the students learned to chop up these mock body parts with ease.

Neighbor remembers the first time she mastered one particular cut.

“I thought I had missed the mat completely because nothing moved,” Neighbor said. “But my Sensei walked up and pushed the top half of the mat I had cut off over.”

Like something out of a Kill Bill movie, the folded steel of the katana is so sharp it cuts through the human body without the top half moving.

“I’m not a fearful person and self-defense was never my motivation for doing any of this,” Neighbor said. “But I must

It was incredibly prestigous to be a samurai Samurai cared more about honor and bound themselves to their lord

Ninja

Belonging to the lower status of Japanese society, Ninjas were spies and assasins Hired mercenaries that would be willing to serve anyone who is willing to pay them their asking price in return for their services Preferred sneak attacks, and smaller weapons such as Ninja Stars Wore black outfits of cloth covering all but their eyes Some Facts from: ninjasvssamurai.weebly.com/comparing.html

say, it’s nice to know I can protect myself.”

After all, Chambers knows the best way to protect yourself from an intruder with a gun.

“Just cut off his hand,” Chambers said. “Can’t shoot if you don’t have a hand.”

Neighbor essentially has all the skills to be a human weapon, capable of subduing someone twice her size with ease. But a passion for something other than violence kept her coming back to the dojo day in and day out.

Neighbor, who now is forced to take a hiatus from her formal training until she graduates due to her dojo moving locations, counts the days until she can come back to the training floor learning the way of the samurai.

19

photo by CALLIE MCPHAIL

SAMURAI ESSENTIALS 1

2 3

4 ABOVE | Neighbor has been training to be a samurai since she was 14 years old. In the photo above, Neighbor is demonstrating a traditional samurai pose.

1. UNIFORM The uniform of a samurai is made of hakama (the pants), obi (belt), and kosode (shirt). The number of folds in the pants is representative of the core values of the samurai code.

2. THROWING KNIVES & NINJA STARS The knives include kunai (longer with handles), shuriken (the stars, general term for any projectile), and the smaller knives, which are standard throwing knives.

photo by MATTHEW BRUYERE ABOVE LEFT AND RIGHT | Neighbor explains what she is using to demonstrate her set of samurai skills and tricks. She is holding rolled-up straw, that has been soaked in water for roughly 24 hours. This process causes the straw to become very dense, equivalent to the density of human limbs.

3. NUNCHUCKS photo by MATTHEW BRUYERE

RIGHT | Neighbor demonstrates slicing through the straw. The sword Neighbor uses is called a Katana, which is best for swift, slicing movements.

Nunchucks are not widely used in traditional samurai, instead they are most commonly utilized during practice for flashiness and novelty.

4. SWORD Chloeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sword is a Katana with Damascus steel; the sword is fairly light, at roughly 2 pounds, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s made for slicing movements and cutting through gaps in armor. Swords are used for quick, sharp movements, not for beating people with them like a bludgeoning weapon.

photo by MATTHEW BRUYERE

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ALL MADE UP

21

Out of three makeover destinations, one, although more expensive, proves to be worth the cost written by PORTER CARROLL

Parlor

Time: 30 minutes

P

arlor, a glamorous beauty bar on the Plaza, is one of my all time favorite places to get my hair done. Of the times I’ve been there, I always notice a makeup counter, so I this time, decided to go in and experiment before WPA. I walked in on a quiet Friday afternoon, and was warmly welcomed by the lady sitting at the front desk who offered me a drink. After I walked back to the makeup counter, I told the makeup artist I wanted a natural look with a little shimmer and a bit of eyeliner. I also showed her a picture that I found on Pinterest with the look I wanted.

It cost $15 to get my eyes done, which I found too expensive for the mediocre outcome. The makeup artist used a mix of browns and gold tinted eye shadows. She packed on the slightly too sparkly shadow, making me look somewhat like a drag queen. Then came the eyeliner, which was laid on so thick under my eyes, making me look more like a raccoon.

The eye makeup made me feel like everyone was staring at me; it wasn’t the natural look I’m used to. If you don’t mind a lot of makeup, Parlor could be the right place for you. But for me, I’m going to stick with their hair services.

2/5 STARS

photos by KATIE LAMAR

Bobbi Brown Time: 20 minutes

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obbi Brown is one of my go-to places to get free makeovers and buy beauty products, because it’s so light and doesn’t suffocate me beneath pounds of makeup.

I visited the counter at Nordstrom and told the makeup artist I wanted the natural look I asked for at Parlor. I made it clear that I only wanted eyeliner on my top eyelid – I didn’t want a repeat of Parlor’s look.

As she put liquid foundation on my face she explained it would cover up my redness and smooth out my color. She consistently explained what the products were doing for me which was helpful if I wanted to recreate the look in the future.

For the eyeshadow, she used mostly light golden browns with a little shimmer. They didn’t turn me into Kylie Jenner like they did at Parlor, but instead gave me a more natural look. The eyeliner the makeup artist ended up smudging a bit, but other than that she kept it as thin as I wanted. One of my favorite things about getting my makeup done at the Bobbi Brown counter, is that they don’t charge you to get it done. Since they are trying to display their products, it’s usually courteous to purchase one of the products used, which can be anywhere from $15 and up. I recommend getting a lipstick or lipgloss so you can re-apply throughout the night. Bobbi Brown’s natural technique for the low price makes it a front-runner for WPA makeup choices.

Sephora

Time: 40 minutes

M

y final stop was Sephora.

I was welcomed by the staff when I walked in and was directed toward the makeup counter. Maggie, the makeup artist, began by putting an all-natural moisturizer and primer on my skin to prepare for the makeover. Sephora’s Color IQ, an electronic tool that matches your skin color to products, made sure my look fit me well.

I asked her to contour my cheekbones for an intense model look. My foundation looked subtle while still covering up any redness and blemishes I had. For my eyes, Maggie used light and dark browns and a thin liquid liner to complete the look I was going for. She based my lip color off my blush, which finished the overall appearance.

Unlike Bobbi Brown, Sephora requires a $50 product purchase minimum for makeovers. While this seems like a lot, it’s convenient to take home the products used. Sephora reached the natural yet glamorous look I was hoping for and based off appearance, did the best job out of the three.

5/5 STARS

3

4 Lips

2

Eyes

Face

SEPHORA PROCESS

1

Cheeks

THE

4/5 STARS

22

KALE FAIL

A do-it-yourself juice cleanse fell short of its expectations

W

hile sitting on my couch eating extra-cheesy macaroni this past weekend, I had never felt more grateful in my entire life. I had just finished a sevenday-long juice cleanse, and I had been indulging in my favorite foods the entire day. For the past week, my dreams were full of Nutella, Minsky’s pizza, Starburst, and frozen yogurt. After much pain and suffering, I finally got to binge and live all my dreams.

I really love food. I eat when I watch TV. I eat when I am bored. I eat when I read. I eat when I don’t want to do my homework. I eat when I don’t want to clean my room.

Sometimes I even eat my feelings. What can I say, I’m, a regular junk food connoisseur. This cleanse was not easy for me to say the least. I started juicing in attempt to kickstart a healthier lifestyle, but I ended up cheating so often that it was pretty much worthless.

My juice cleanse consisted of drinking five to six juices every day, plus an allowance of a handful of raw nuts for protein. All of the juices I made used kale as a base, with apples, oranges, grapefruit and lemon for flavor. After completing this cleanse, I never want to eat, see or even smell any of those foods again.

I learned quite a few valuable things after finishing the cleanse, the first being that I have absolutely no self-control, whatsoever. I cheated multiple times, once with P.F. Chang’s for my mom’s birthday dinner, and again with a large cup of White Chocolate Mousse TCBY yogurt with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on top, and also with big bag of salty lime

written by ANNA MCCLELLAND

covered Chipotle chips.

Another thing I learned is that juicing is extremely timeconsuming. The juicer has to be cleaned after each use, which takes about 15 minutes alone. There are five main pieces: the base, which contains the motor, the filter, which prevents pulp, the blade, which does the obvious, the lid, which makes sure kale pieces don’t go flying everywhere, and the waste bin, that catches all the shreds of your cash that’s going to waste because of all the unused produce. The whole process, from washing the produce to cleaning the juicer, takes almost 30 minutes for just one juice. For a busy bee like me, it’s much more convenient to grab a granola bar and go. I could use the time it takes to make one juice to instead knock out a chemistry assignment. In reality, the cleanse was totally not worth it.

Let’s not overlook how hangry I was the whole week.

‘Hangry’ is my favorite hybrid word: a combination of hungry and angry. I am inherently hangry all the time, so living off of juice for a whole week put me at an all time hangriness high. I am 98 percent positive that all of my friends hate me now because I was so mean to them all week. Whenever I was mean to them, they would taunt me with their food. But, I did display exceptional restraint and didn’t give in to their tactics.

Also, for the first three days, I was absolutely exhausted. I would come home after school, fall straight asleep and then make sure I got up before 5:30 p.m. to avoid my mom yelling at me when she got home. Then, I would go right back to

sleep at 8:00 p.m.

And for those who are wondering, no. I didn’t lose any weight. I might have shed some water weight, but I put it back on within the first day post juice cleanse.

“Like most fad diets,” Huffington Post reporter Melissa Valliant said. “A juice fast is not an effective way to lose weight, and keep it off.”

All cleanses really do is cut out all the fats from your diet, and drastically lower calorie counts. Juice doesn’t provide all of the necessary nutrients for your body to function properly and can cause the body to lose a significant amount of electrolytes. Loss of electrolytes can drain your energy and cause muscle spasms. For example, I had this incessant eye twitch going on. Basically, I was tired and crabby the whole week because I wasn’t getting the nutrients I needed.

Scientifically, cleanses aren’t that good for you. At least not for a long period of time, like a week. In the future, I could see myself doing a one or two day cleanse, but never again will I do it for an entire week. I just love food too much, and the binge session I had afterwards probably cancelled out any healthy habits I may have developed.

In the end, I learned which foods are worth indulging on.

Potato chips: not worth it. Tortilla chips: totally worth it. You know what else is worth it? Frozen yogurt, White Chocolate Mousse to be specific. Please excuse me while I go have a large cup of it, or maybe I should have a small.

photo illustration by KAITLYN STRATMAN

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PREVIEW KC: CONCERTS

24

written by KALEIGH KOC

The ground vibrates and it feels like my eardrums might actually burst. But slowly, I become used to the ear-splitting sound. I know that even after leaving the venue, I will still hear an overwhelming ring in my ears. The stage lights flash from white, to blue, to red, emitting blinding bursts of color to the crowd. People smash into each other in hopes of getting just a little closer to the performer. Concerts may not be for everyone, but I think there’s something

C

incredible about being able to watch someone sing some of my favorite songs right in front of me. Even better, I can sing and dance alongside thousands of other people who are there for the exact same reason: they love music. Concerts can be the perfect event to look forward to on your calendar – here are some of the musicians coming to KC in February and March.

CITY AND COLOUR

ity and Colour’s solo artist, Dallas Green, writes all of his own songs, which are filled to the brim with heartfelt lyrics. City and Colour performs acoustic, low-key songs. The first time a friend showed me one of their songs, “The Girl,” I was hooked. The song is arranged into three different parts, making it unique compared to any other song I’ve heard. I think his music is ideal for when I need songs to be played faintly while I’m studying to keep me on task.

GENRE: Alternative Rock, Folk

K

KACEY MUSGRAVES

acey Musgraves reminds me of the 2009 Taylor Swift. She’s a country singer, for people who hate country. In a genre where many complain that the lyrics are all the same, Kacey breaks free from the country stereotype.

Musgraves always incorporates sarcastic plays-on-words in her lyrics. Her music ranges from songs about love, to a song entitled “Biscuits”, which contrary to what you might assume, is a song about being kind to people.

VENUE: Midland Theatre

GENRE: Country

T

TECH N9NE

ech N9ne is one of the few well-known artists from Kansas City to make it big in the music industry. I heard his music for the first time last year on the way to a soccer game in my friend’s silver Toyota.

The windows were rolled down, and Tech N9ne was turned up so loud I could feel the bass shaking the car all around me. His music is a mix of rap and rock, and got all of us hyped for our game. Although his music easily gets me pumped up, I have to have a certain thirst for energy to truly enjoy it.

GENRE: Rap, Rock

W

CARLY RAE JEPSON

e all know at least one song by Carly Rae Jepsen, but the majority of us probably don’t know more than one. I consider her a one-hit-wonder after her popular song, “Call Me Maybe”. Her music is the kind that I only need to hear once, and that is enough for me. I personally wouldn’t want to listen to her poppy happy-go-lucky music for an hour, while coughing up $40. However, if you’re looking for music to dance to, this might be the concert for you.

VENUE:Granada Theater

VENUE: Granada Theater

GENRE: Pop

V

VANCE JOY

N

A

GENRE: Rock

GENRE: Indie Folk

VENUE:Midland Theatre

AC/DC

C/DC is what I would consider a classic-rock band. They were one of the most influential hard rock bands of the ‘70s. I would describe their music as bold. It’s loud. It’s what people have been listening to to satisfy their thirst for powerful rock music for decades.

VENUE: Sprint Center

DAUGHTER

ot many people have heard of Daughter, a three person band from England; though they’re one of my favorites. Their music is mellow and calming, and it’s great for clearing my head and de-stressing. Their relaxed and tranquil songs are usually placed in playlists for falling asleep or unwinding after a stressful day.

ance Joy’s music is predominantly acoustic, and the majority of his songs have an upbeat, uplifting rhythm to them. His songs are all different, but his voice remains the same throughout – raspy but sweet. It’s become so distinct to me that I can attribute a song to him within seconds of the first note.

GENRE:Indie folk

VENUE: Midland Theatre

Top | Kacey Musgraves performing at the Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco on August 8, 2014.

MIDDLE | Tech N9ne performing at the Liberty Memorial in KC on May 30, 2015.

Botto | AC/DC’s lead singer performing at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California April 10, 2015.

photos courtesy of MCT CAMPUS

VENUE: Granada Theater

THE PIANO GUYS

GENRE: Crossover music, Cello Rock

VENUE: Midland Theatre

X AMBASSADORS

GENRE: Alternative Rock

VENUE: KC Live!

Featured

25

Restaurants

CATERED FOR CONVENIENCE The food service delivery app, Postmates, proves to be convenient and worth the price

I

written by MADELINE HLOBICK

t was one of those cozy Sunday mornings when I felt too lazy to move out of my warm, fleece sheets and do anything but curl up in bed. At the same time, a part of me desperately wanted a big, fluffy First Watch chocolate chip pancake. Because I didn’t want to deal with hauling myself out of bed, changing out of pajamas, or even waiting in a long line, I opened up to my new best friend: the app “Postmates.”

Postmates is an app that allows you to order food from any restaurant, and a Postmate worker will pick up your food and deliver it directly to your door. However, Postmates is not just for restaurants and food. The Apple store, Trader Joe’s, Walgreens, Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods and more are also available through Postmates.

To my surprise, Postmates was free in the app store. The first thing that popped up was my address at the top. It was nice that the settings are programmed to automatically pull up your current location, so you don’t have to hassle with it. But if you would like your food delivered elsewhere, you can type in another address.

At the search bar menu, a list of different restaurant suggestions pulled up with approximate wait times. Although a crêpe from Chez Elle sounded tempting, I still went with my chocolate chip pancake and a side of bacon from First Watch.

Once I typed in my order, I just naturally assumed that I would have to undergo a lengthy “checking out” process. Surprisingly, this wasn’t the case.

I punched in my mom’s credit card number and clicked “Check Out.” Within 30 seconds a f t e r pressing the button, a page

popped up that read “Rachel F. has accepted your request,” and gave me the exact time until my order would be delivered. By accepting my request, this meant Rachel F. would be the person delivering my food to me. The app also had a feature that allowed me to track her, and I could call or text her if I needed anything.

It was 10:24 a.m. and my stomach growled at the thought of devouring a fresh chocolate chip pancake. As much as I hoped the time estimate–10:54 a.m.– would be accurate, I kept no hopes up.

For the next 30 minutes, I decided to hunker back down in my bed, until I heard the buzz of my doorbell–right at 10:54.

Since I was home alone, there had been a bit of nervousness lingering in the back of my mind about what the person delivering my food was going to be like. But all of that nervousness was washed away as soon as I saw a young woman with a turquoise pea coat and a big smile standing outside my door, handing me a card-board brown bag.

Once I opened the brown bag, a wave of warm maple syrup with a hint of grease hit me. It was 17 degrees out, but my pancake was still warm.

After I opened the box, I found two strips of bacon and two packages of syrup sitting on top of a giant pancake. Although the presentation of my food could have been better, my pancake and bacon didn’t disappoint. The pancake was still warm enough that the chocolate chips were able to melt perfectly in my mouth, and the bacon was still nice and crisp. And I was able to eat in my bed while watching “Friends.”

That’s much better than sitting at a restaurant.

My house is 0.6 miles from First Watch, and the delivery fee was $5. Although this may seem pricey, it was definitely worth it.

photo by ALLISON STOCKWELL

There is no set delivery fee for Postmates.

The prices fluctuate based on how many people are working and how far away your house is from the restaurant, similar to the “Uber” app. The more workers out delivering food, the lower the delivery fee.

Throughout the next couple of days, I had been having a huge craving for t.Loft.

Tuesday after school, my craving had hit its peak. Having just finished a Chemistry quiz and writing an English essay, I came home, flopped on my bed, and was exhausted.

I wanted something from t. Loft, but didn’t have the time or energy to drive there.

Immediately, I went to Postmates.

As soon as I searched t. Loft, their menu popped right up with all of the fancy names of their juices and teas. At first, I thought I was going to have to Google t. Loft’s menu to find out what exactly was in all of the different juices, but once I tapped the name of a juice, a list of the ingredients pulled up.

I finally settled on the “Mean and Clean” juice and a peanut butter protein ball. Since I already had a credit card number inserted from my last order, it was even easier to order than before.

Exactly 20 minutes later, a blueish-gray Ford Focus pulled up in front of my house and a man with a tan, puffy coat rang my doorbell.

My house is two miles away from t. Loft, so the delivery fee ended up being $7.50. Although this delivery fee was a bit higher than I was anticipating, I still feel like I got my money’s worth.

My juice remained nice and cold, and my peanut butter ball was placed nicely inside a white, little ruffled cup. Again, Postmates proved to be worth it.

Also, for anyone who gets the “late night munchies,” Postmates runs 24 hours. So when it’s 1 a.m., and you want that McDonald’s Oreo

Planet Sub Q39 Noodles and Company Minsky’s Spin! Neapolitan Pizza Taco Bell Winsteads First Watch Kona Grill Brio Tuscan Grille Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que The Mixx Bella Napoli Blue Koi McDonald’s Bo Lings T. Loft Red Snapper Chipotle

Featured Stores

Whole Foods Apple Store American Apparel Trader Joe’s Mcflurry, you now have a way of getting it without leaving your house.

Every time I’ve ordered food through Postmates, the workers have been punctual and friendly, and my food has remained the perfect temperature. Overall, Postmates is well worth your money, and it’s a great tool to have for when you are in a time crunch or are just feeling lazy.

B

lack and blue trails down sophomore Jade Danforth’s arm, a trophy of her hard work and dedication. She’ll slip off her simple sweatshirt and jeans and replace it with her tight wrestling singlet before entering the practice where she may receive another picture-worthy bruise, one she would call sweet.

Wiping the dark eyeliner and gray eye shadow from her eyes, she removes the veil of makeup from her face. While her eyes may trail to the floor while talking to others in her quiet voice, the moment she steps onto the wrestling mat, the shy artist transforms into an aggressive competitor.

“When I go to school, I turn off the wrestling part of me,” Danforth said. “But when I go [to wrestling], I turn off the girly part of me. It’s like a light switch.”

Danforth is the only girl on the wrestling team; she is the exception to the norm in a high school sport dominated by boys. While she admits the team environment may make her uneasy, and she has yet to win a match, she continues to try. She will still pull her straightened hair back into a ponytail, strap on the cap and headgear that will protect her from her opponents, and lace up her high-top shoes for her sixth match on Wednesday.

Support for both sides of Danforth comes from home. Her dad has watched every single competition in the season thus far. Having seen his involvement in combat sports such as wrestling, karate, jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts throughout his life, the constant exposure to this lifestyle sparked Danforth’s interest three years ago. Ultimate Fighting Championship matches would play on the television as she spent time with him, and the more she watched, the more intrigued she became.

“The thought of beating someone up sounded nice,” Danforth said. “That’s why I wanted to do [combat sports].”

Danforth began training in jiu jitsu three years ago. She works an average of four days a week at Kansas City Brazilian Jiu Jitsu during the wrestling offseason, exercising focus and concentration along with her muscles. Her dad encouraged her to learn skills like self-defense and patience that come with jiu jitsu.

“I hope she has an appreciation for everything that she does and that she’s capable of doing,” her father, Marcus Danforth said. “There’s a lot of people that can’t, or won’t, wrestle or do jiu jitsu. They just don’t have the drive to go out and do something like that.”

Danforth’s determination has led her to improve throughout the season. After being pinned within 20 seconds during her first competition match, Danforth now lasts three out of three rounds against her opponents.

Although she’s never had an altercation during a competition or been refused a match, she faces the difficulty of separation from her own team. She feels the attitudes change when wrestlers work with her.

She sees the dirty looks that flash across certain faces when they hear she’s their next partner. She knows no one wants to be her spotter in the weight room because she moves slower than the rest of the boys.

One teammate, Billy Ruttan, believes that some of their teammates leave her out based on the fact that she’s a girl without getting to know the sweet girl that he has befriended. More often than not, they

ONE WOMAN

DOW N

26

Sophomore Jade Danforth motivates herself to improve her wrestling despite being the only female on the team written by GRACE CHISHOLM

don’t bother to acknowledge her presence at all.

“I just think guys think it’s really uncomfortable to wrestle with her because she’s a girl,” Ruttan said.

“It was a little weird at first but then I started to get comfortable with it.”

This separation drives her to prove that she is an equal and worthy opponent while the anger causes her to zero in on her technique. When she spends time thinking about how someone has upset her, her wrestling benefits. The frustration allows her to be more aggressive, and in turn, perform with more confidence.

“If [the guys] beat me at practice, sometimes the look on their face will say that they were upset that it was that easy,” Danforth said. “It makes me want to try harder to beat them later on and eventually I end up beating them.”

These higher expectations come from Danforth herself. She wasn’t forced to go through any other rules or regulations during sign ups or tryouts. Her coaches treat her just as any other wrestler that walks through the gym doors. But this motivation helps because the boys she faces in her weight class are typically stronger than she is.

“She never even thought about quitting,” JV coach Bill Gibson said. “We’ve had some tough practices and she doesn’t say ‘oh coach I can’t do this’, she just goes out and does it.”

While her attitude strengthens her during practice, competitions bring nerves that take over her body.

She hates the feeling of all eyes on her at competitions. Just before she steps on the mat, thoughts flood her mind. She can’t help but think about how she is wearing a body-hugging uniform and her hair is hidden by headgear. She is fixated with self-consciousness while she is supposed to be focused on pinning someone else to the ground.

Even though she dislikes the attention when competing, she’s empowered by the fact that she can be assertive while training but then introverted during the school day.

Since joining the team, people she doesn’t recognize say hello to her in the hall. Danforth wants to be acknowledged for the fact that not many other girls would have the nerve to join an all-male sport and stick with it. She would love if other girls tried out for the team, granted that they were as committed as she.

Controlling the flip of the switch has been the best part for Danforth. She’s able to express both

the shy artist and the fierce opponent parts of her personality. At first, the shy side of her was more prominent. At the beginning of the season when she would walk into the gym, her eyes would avert to the ground immediately and she would stare at her shoes. She’s slowly opening up to those around her, talking to managers and a few teammates before practice begins.

Weight class: 220 Her positive attitude is the main Record: 15-7 reason she has been having so much fun 3 years on Varsity with wrestling, according to her dad.

She has two years left to continue getting better. She believes learning technique now, and then perfecting those skills later on will help her on the path to winning.

Danforth is looking for a wrestling gym to join here in Weight class: 152 town, and hopes to go to Iowa Record: 13-4 for a camp this summer.

3 years on Varsity Rugby is next on her list of sports to try, despite her mom’s hesitations about competing in two “guy sports” in one year.

Luckily, she’s already found a club in the area. They happen to offer a girl’s team.

Weight class: 130-140

JACK CARTER

MIKE BAMFORD

JADE DANFORTH 1 year on Junior Varsity

DRAKE YOST

Weight class: 160 Record: 19-6 3 years on Varsity

TEAM COMPETITORS

Several of East’s best senior wrestlers size up to Sophomore Jade Danforth photos by CALLIE MCPHAIL

27

B C UIL NF DIN IDE G NC E written by CATHERINE BROWN

S

photo by MORGAN BROWNING

Senior girl finds both fitness and comfort in a male-dominated practice

enior Kristina Arakelov puts on her favorite Flag Nor Fail shirt, laces up her black Nike tennis shoes and grabs her Powerbeats2 headphones. She begins her drive to the Carriage Club, a place she considers her second home. For the past four years, she has spent nearly every day working out in the club’s fitness room.

Arakelov started bodybuilding at the end of her freshman year because she wanted a more sculpted figure and found that it the perfect way to build both confidence and character. Currently, Arakelov is bodybuilding for personal reasons, but has considered entering competitions in the future when she reaches a more advanced level.

Throughout Arakelov’s childhood, she considered herself overweight and was insecure about how others perceived her. She struggled with her appearance and thought everything needed improvement. Her body was the main thing she wanted to change about herself, but she didn’t know where to begin.

Arakelov played tennis, but the sport alone wasn’t enough to lose the weight she wanted. She researched different training and nutritional information and became interested in bodybuilding.

“Bodybuilding is like an art,” Arakelov said. “You get to shape your body any way you want.”

Before Arakelov started to bodybuild, she weighed 140 pounds, which according to the Body Mass Index (BMI) was overweight for a person of her height. She lost around 30 pounds by doing cardio, but then her weight went back up to 120 pounds because of muscle gain through weight training. She got workout ideas from famous bodybuilder Bradley Martyn, and began a regimented training program.

On Mondays she focuses on her arms by using the curl bar, Tuesdays are devoted to chest workouts such as the bench press, and so on.

“No one is perfect, but that keeps me motivated, knowing that there is always something that can be improved,” Arakelov said.

Arakelov put together a strict diet for herself based on foods praised by famous female bodybuilder, Paige Hathaway. For breakfast, she eats up to four eggs (her favorite source of protein) and a piece of fruit, usually a banana. Lunch consists of vegetables and a protein shake.

For dinner she eats meat (either chicken or steak), salad and a couple slices of bread. She follows her diet on a daily basis but sets aside one “cheat day” per week where she can eat sweets.

At first, Arakelov found it difficult to stay motivated. She didn’t feel like she knew what she was doing, and she would always compare her diet to others. Arakelov also didn’t have anyone who supported her decision to bodybuild. Her parents tried to hold her back from the activity because they thought it would make her seem less feminine, and her classmates would judge her for being a female in a male dominated practice.

“At times throughout the process I would feel alone and empty inside,” Arakelov said.

Her inspirations, Martyn and Hathaway, helped her from feeling alone because she saw how they overcame negativity and continued doing what they loved with a strong and confident attitude.

“I’m a huge advocate for women to do weight training,” Hathaway said in an interview with Women’s Health. “One misconception I’m sure you’ve heard a lot is that if girls go to the gym, they’re going to look manly, they’re going to look bulky, or they’re just not going to look feminine anymore.”

Arakelov’s advice for anyone who is wanting to start bodybuilding is to only add a little weight each session and to take it slow. Overtraining can lead to serious injuries which can occur due to many things such as working at a high intensity for too long, lack of nutrition or lack of recovery time in between workouts.

“People think that if a girl does bodybuilding she will look like a guy,” Arakelov said. “I want people to know that just because I lift, doesn’t mean I’m any less of a girl.”

4WEIGHTLIFTING FACTS ABOUT

1 2 3 4

It takes about 72 hours for sore muscles to fully recover Musle is about 18% more dense than fat so one pound of muscle occupies less space than a pound of fat Women don’t get as buff as men because they dont have the hormonal support to gain muscle like men can

There are three distinct types of muscles clasified by their jobs in the body

Information courtesy of bodybuilding.com, bamboocorefitness.com and collegesportsscholarships.com

28

B-BALL BEEF

A look into the East and Rockhurst basketball rivalry that has been going on for over four decades

VS

nee Mission Shaw

16 0 2

EAST

2016

ROCKHURST

PAST STUDENT SECTION THEMES HOME

Outsiders- Leather jackets and greased hair to reference the book “Outsiders” Scrubs- Used to make fun of the drug testing that was implemented at Rockhurst that year

FOULS

AWAY

FOULS

TOL

TOL

Paper- Students dressed as paper, because paper beats ‘rock’ in rock paper scissors

written by RYAN HESS Shawnee Mission East boys’ basketball team will take on Rockhurst’s team Jan. 29 for the second time this season. Both teams currently have all-time low records with East at 1-8 and Rockhurst at 5-6.

East has had one of their more difficult schedules this year, first facing Shawnee Mission North’s Weathers brothers, Michael and Marcus. The following week, the team put up a fight against Shawnee Mission West and their stand-outs, Mike Hood and Darrell Stewart, who led their team to victory over the Lancers. Rockhurst, on the other hand, has played their traditional schedule. Like Rockhurst’s football team, the basketball team has lost to lower ranking teams this season, all of whom have losing records as well.

In recent games, the rival schools have usually ended up

in a shootout. In their first encounter against each other this year, Rockhurst defeated the Lancers with a buzzer beater to win the game by three points.

Last year, Rockhurst’s JV team made half-court buzzer beater that made it onto ESPN’s top 10 plays of the week.

“The kids really need to stay focused and upbeat,” Coach Hair said. “I have been disappointed, but not to the point of being angry at the boys.”

In practice, the boys have been running sprints and working to run the offense by speeding up the tempo and working the post. They want to keep the ball out of Rockhurst junior guard Chris Teahan’s hands and his teammates off the three point line. Teahan has been on varsity since freshman year and has been consistently gaining minutes on the court ever since.

“The boys haven’t had much

varsity experience, but they have stepped up to the challenge to try and save this season” senior forward Jay Guastello said.

Hairs’ attitude towards this season has really shown his care for the team and their success.

Players say that Hair has supported them through even the toughest losses this year. He wants them to work harder and show the fans that they can win.

“This game is one of the most exciting for the seniors because this will be their last chance to win against Rockhurst in basketball,” Hair said.

This game will take place after the McPherson tournament, which East hasn’t competed well in the past few years. After getting fifth place last year, the team believes a tournament win would send a surge of confidence through the fans and players.

LEFT | Regier is escorted through the cheerleaders’ tunnel by senior Alex Glazer at the boys’ varsity basketball game against Piper BELOW | Regier throws the game ball while being held by his father

Tyler’s Team

photo by TESS ILER written by KAYLIN MCCAN

The boys’ basketball team raises awareness for three-year-old Tyler Regier, the ‘All Star’ of the team who is battling Leukemia

“

Tyler on three: one, two, three Tyler!” the Varsity boys’ basketball team chanted as they gathered in a huddle before their game honoring Tyler against Piper on Dec 5. Running through the line of teammates Tyler had the chance of being the honorary guest of the night.

Three-year-old Tyler Regier is battling leukemia. After being diagnosed in May of 2015, Regier has continued to go through numerous Chemotherapy treatments and has spent many nights in the hospital.

The basketball team became involved with Tyler through Pinkie Swear sponsor and East parent, Nikol Terril. Tyler is an All-Star “kid who demonstrates courage, patience, and resilience every day” of the Pinky Swear Foundation, an organization that helps support children with cancer.

Their families are provided grants for things such as food cards and helping with their mortgage.

It was started by CEO Steve Cepokas, whose son died from cancer. He made a promise to continue helping kids just like him after he passed away, and Cepokas has continued ever since.

The team felt there was no better way to show their support than to make him the star of a varsity game. Hand-in-hand with senior and varsity basketball player Alex Glazer, the crowd looked at Tyler. The student section began chanting “Tyler, Tyler, Tyler!”

“For Tyler to be a part of something so special means so much to our family,”said Tina Regier [Tyler’s mother]. “After the game it’s all he could talk about, asking when he

would get to do it again.”

Tyler is currently at Children’s Mercy and will remain there throughout January and February. He underwent a bone marrow transplant surgery on Jan. 8. Before going into his surgery, which basically wipes out his immune system, both JV and varsity players sent Tyler a video message showing their support. They wished him good luck in surgery and let him know they are are all praying for him.

Due to Tyler’s surgery and not being able to leave the hospital, the team came up with another way to show support for the Regiers.

Varsity boys’ coach Shawn Hair pledged to shave his head in honor of Tyler if $10,000 is raised by the Jan. 29 Rockhurst game. Hair donated $500 to kick it off. Over half of the money needed has been raised since the pledge started on Jan. 13 through the Lancer Basketball Website.

All of the funds are not raised just for the Regier family. Instead, they are raised, in honor of Tyler, for other families experiencing the effects of pediatric cancer.

“I joked about becoming coach ‘No Hair’ at the assembly and I believe we can get it done,” Hair said.

Many have come together to create different ways to show support for the Regier family. A blood drive, Fusion workout class for little kids, selling hot chocolate and partnering with First National Bank are just a few things that have been done. Out of all the support he is getting, the Regier’s favorite part is getting see a smile on Tyler’s face.

ABOVE | Senior Luke Ehly cradles Regier

photo by TESS ILER

29 photo by DIANA PERCY

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March Madness: a time of dedicating blood, sweat and tears worrying over your bracket. However, we cannot forget the people who simply fill theirs out by choosing the team with the cooler mascot. 68 teams, 32 Division One conference champions, 16 seeds and four regions, but only one national champion.

Who will win the title this year?

It looks like the Canadian bad boy has officially returned to the good side. Beliebers already know that after three years of seeing Justin Bieber’s mugshots instead of his pictures on the internet, that he is back for his Purpose tour. He will be making a pit-stop in Kansas City April 6 at the Sprint Center.

SWEET DECEMBER

STAR WARS COMEBACK, ROUND 2 This won’t be the last time you see Star Wars socks and underwear lining the shelves of department stores -- the hype has started once again. The 2015 release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” created a wave of excitement, so what will the 2016 film entail? December 16 marks the day that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a spinoff of the original movie, hits theaters.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Nov. 8: the day American’s welcome a new President to the White House.

Half of America is wondering if Republican Donald Trump would hold up to his plan on building a wall between our country and Mexico, while the other half is wondering if he will ever get a better hair-do. Then on the other end of the spectrum...

Hillary Clinton.

NOVEMBER

MAY CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR To all fans of Marvel comics and Avenger movies: wait no more, the new Captain America movie will be in theaters May 6.

“Captain America: Civil War” is a sequel to the 2011 film, except instead of the heroes banding together to fight for humanity, they have now turned against one another. This movie entails a battle between former partners and friends Captain America and Iron Man... enough said.

FINDING DORY What happened to the forgetful, absent-minded blue fish in Finding Nemo? Thirteen years after the animated fish-favorite hit the big screen, Pixar is releasing “Finding Dory”. The film will be in theaters June 17, so until then, just keep swimming.

TWENTY ONE PILOTS CONCERT Contrary to popular belief, the band Twenty One Pilots consists of neither pilots, nor 21 members. The Alternative hip-hop, electropop and indie pop duo may not be actual pilots, but they are flying to Kansas City on July 10 for their Blurryface tour.

Preview some of what 2016 has to offer in sports, entertainment and local events

JULY

The man who believes that his “greatest pain in life is that [he] will never be able to see [himself] perform live,” is releasing his newest album. Look for Kayne West’s eighth studio album SWISH on shelves, February 11. He is giving his fans a taste of what is to come by dropping singles on his Soundcloud.

MARCH MARCH MADNESS

JUNE

FEBRUARY KANYE WEST ALBUM

written by JESSICA PARKER

ROYALS BARBEQUE Arrowhead stadium gets the pleasure of hosting an annual pride of Kansas City-- Barbeque.

Over 600 teams of barbequers will battle head-tohead, competing for a chance to say their food is the best.

The Kansas City Chiefs get to share their stadium with some Kansas City Chefs from Oct. 1-4.

OCTOBER

IPHONE 7 RELEASE It has become an annual tradition to release the newest, thinner and much more expensive iPhone every September. Rumor has it -- surprise, surprise --that Apple is making their new product even thinner than before. Ladies and gentlemen... the iPhone 7. Although a release date is unannounced as of now, the public can count on it hitting the market sometime within the month.

SEPTEMBER

SUMMER OLYMPICS There are 192 days until the beginning of the 2016 Summer Olympics hosted in Rio de Janerio, Brazil.

Starting Aug. 5, over 10,500 athletes will be competing for their country in a variety of 28 different sports. To put that in perspective: that is the equivalent to six and a half times the entire student body of Shawnee Mission East participating in the olympics.

AUGUST

32

1

SWEET A awakening

photos by HALEY BELL

3

Sweetheart candidates were revealed on Tuesday when they were woken up by STUCO members

photos by KAITLYN STRATMAN

1

Senior Alexa Young sips on her smoothie and chats with fellow candidates. “I was confused at first because I didn’t know what was happening,” Young said. “I had no idea I would be a candidate!”

2

Senior Bonnie Longan takes a selfie with Kelsey Cox and Susan Heinesh after they woke her up.

“Kelsey jumped on my bed and I was really confused and couldn’t really see,” Longan said. “Then they gave me the paper and I got really excited and also flustered.”

3

Senior Maggie Brophy shows her mom the congratulations card for her nomination.

“When people came to wake me up I was not only surprised, but super excited to be on the court,” Brophy said. “My favorite part about being nominated is probably the awesome honor!”

2

photos by MORGAN BROWNING

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Senior Worth Blackman and Henry Sullivan agree that the rest of the members of the Sweetheart court are very well deserved and the wake up was startling. “My first reaction was to throw my covers over my head when they woke me up,” Blackman said. “Yeah, I was terrified when they came in with pots and pans,” Sullivan said. “I jumped out of bed in panic.”

photos by HALEY BELL